Had a hankerin' for a steak yesterday, so I took out an old London broil top round from the deep freeze and fired up the grill. What amazes me is that I still got grill marks, even though the center was still somewhat frozen. Sure did hit the spot and was plenty juicy, Good dose of coarse S&P, and cooked to medium rare.

Good looking steak, BC! That's what I want for breakfast this weekend.

Brad - As for beer gravy, if it's done right, it can be quite good. If it's not done correctly, it's quite awful.

In fact, I managed a few bars a long time ago and I had a chef clear out the room once with his "beer gravy". And before anyone even dares suggest it, this wasn't a food safety issue at all (my kitchen staff was even more meticulous than me). It's just that the stuff tasted so bad it made folks hurl.

I hope yours is in the first category (and I'm pretty sure it will be).

Unlike propane, you'll never wake up scorched and naked in another county because you mishandled a bag of briquettes.

Yeah, I'm an old hand at beer gravy. My name ain't "beercuer" for nothin'.

Here's one I did for an Aussie Walkabout Cowpie (just a spin-off of a Salisbury steak). In this case I used a Foster's Premium Ale. I have found that a really yummy way to get a good gravy is to use corn starch (not flour), use a lighter beer/ale, and load it with sauteed onions and mushrooms. The rest of the seasonings are negotiable.

That looks tasty! Given that your alternate name could be "Tortillacuer" was everything all wrapped up together?

Why thanks, Brad! I find that any kind of gravy makes for savory gravy burgers as well (if one does not mind the mess). You know, you're right... I do make much use of tortillas. Just that this entree required a foot-shaped bed of dough.

Still a far cry from the Beef Wellingtons I saw the children make on Junior MasterChef. Did you catch that? Unbelievable!

beercuer - Definitely a nice looking steak. Think I vaguely remember what a steak is.Was actually supposed to go to a new Texas Roadhouse by our house tonight for a ribeye but the oldest stepson overcelebrated the KC Chiefs being 6-0 and didn't get back from KC in time to go. (He said he'd buy.)Did pick up some nice ribeyes today at Costco - probably Wednesday's dinner.Please tell me more about beer gravy ... Is there a recipe?

Yeah, I'm an old hand at beer gravy. My name ain't "beercuer" for nothin'.

Here's one I did for an Aussie Walkabout Cowpie (just a spin-off of a Salisbury steak). In this case I used a Foster's Premium Ale. I have found that a really yummy way to get a good gravy is to use corn starch (not flour), use a lighter beer/ale, and load it with sauteed onions and mushrooms. The rest of the seasonings are negotiable.

Corn starch is also what I like to use as well, and my second choice is the quick-dissolving flour. But the lighter beer/ale idea and the onions and mushrooms are good too. I think the reason why a lot of beer gravies I've tasted were unpalatable was because the cook used a heavier beer for them.

Unlike propane, you'll never wake up scorched and naked in another county because you mishandled a bag of briquettes.

beercuer - Definitely a nice looking steak. Think I vaguely remember what a steak is.Was actually supposed to go to a new Texas Roadhouse by our house tonight for a ribeye but the oldest stepson overcelebrated the KC Chiefs being 6-0 and didn't get back from KC in time to go. (He said he'd buy.)Did pick up some nice ribeyes today at Costco - probably Wednesday's dinner.Please tell me more about beer gravy ... Is there a recipe?

KC is awesome this year!-- Heard about the decibel record the fans set. Sorry you did not make your Roadhouse trip, but ribeye's sure are a nice treat.

Gravy is a really versatile thing, so you can easily customize it according to your tastes. The most important thing to remember is that one treats corn starch a little differently from flour. Here is a basic way of how I would make mine:

Now you can sautee the onions and mushrooms in the butter. Put the cornstarch into a bowl or large glass and slowly add just enough beer to make a slurry. Then add all the rest of the ingredients stirring it all together. Pour that mixture into the skillet and lightly stir it all around for about two minutes until it thickens. ***Careful, if one gets too rough with it, or cooks it too long the gravy will rethin itself.

You'll probably want more salt and pepper. Optionally you can add a beef bouillon or two. And feel free to add your favorite herbs like rosemary or parsley or whatever. You also might like to make a larger batch of gravy with this formula. This basic one works just fine however. Alternatively, you could Google for Salisbury steak recipes for other ideas-- Just substitute in the beer/ale for the fluid stock or broth, whatever.

Oh yeah, here is a pic of my beer gravy prior to thickening. It's okay to simmer it, so long as you do so at a low temperature (indirect). This was just the basic recipe, but I believe I used more than one onion.